Blood Red Butterfly by Josh Lanyon

Blood Red Butterfly by Josh Lanyon
Stars: 3/5

Length: 28,000 words
Blurb
Despite falling in love with aloof manga artist Kai Tashiro, Homicide Detective Ryo Miller is determined to break the alibi Kai is supplying his murderous boyfriend--even if it means breaking Kai with it.

Overall
An enjoyable, well-written story with a simple, interesting plot...unfortunately I feel the sheer amount of sex detracts from the complex character building, leaving me with two not particularly likable characters who seem to have a sexual dynamic as their only basis for a relationship.

Review
I think one of my biggest issues that arose comes from the expectations I had for the story. I really liked the cover art and the basis of the story. And in many ways I enjoyed the characters, both of whom are stubborn gits. But I struggled to feel any connection between the two leading men aside from sexual.

They had sex. A lot. Which may not bother most people, but I felt it detracted from time that could have been used to develop the emotional bond. I wanted these two to go together so badly, but I felt the ground beneath their feet was too flimsy to really stand up to a real relationship. Along those lines, there is a time skip that ends with a very nice scene that seems to show how much the two men mean to each other, but doesn't feel substantiated by any of their previous interactions.

Despite what appears to be mainly negatives about this story, I did enjoy it. The two men are dry and funny (and sometimes incredibly stupid). They snark and snap at each and for the most part can handle what the other brings. I can see the beginnings of a deep relationship, but I'm not sure the story we see fully develops it.

I was also a little confused about Kai's involvement with the murder suspect, why he kept hooking up with him, and how he felt toward him, or if it was purely a sexual matter, much like all his male-male relationships seem to be.

So mostly, I enjoyed this, but not as much as I was hoping, which could be in part due to my own expectations being disappointed.

Note: I read this all in one sitting during a miserable night of insomnia, but my glimpses back at the story afterward seem to reinforce my opinions above.

Sinner’s Gin by Rhys Ford

Sinner’s Gin by Rhys Ford
Stars: 3.5/5

Length: 260 pages
Blurb
There’s a dead man in Miki St. John’s vintage Pontiac GTO, and he has no idea how it got there.

After Miki survives the tragic accident that killed his best friend and the other members of their band, Sinner’s Gin, all he wants is to hide from the world in the refurbished warehouse he bought before their last tour. But when the man who sexually abused him as a boy is killed and his remains are dumped in Miki’s car, Miki fears Death isn’t done with him yet.

Kane Morgan, the SFPD inspector renting space in the art co-op next door, initially suspects Miki had a hand in the man’s murder, but Kane soon realizes Miki is as much a victim as the man splattered inside the GTO. As the murderer’s body count rises, the attraction between Miki and Kane heats up. Neither man knows if they can make a relationship work, but despite Miki’s emotional damage, Kane is determined to teach him how to love and be loved — provided, of course, Kane can catch the killer before Miki becomes the murderer’s final victim.

Overall
A dramatic romance that toes the line of insta-love and sweeping rescue hero but has enough strong points to make all those elements work. The mystery is well done with some disturbing images but no heart-stopping suspense.

Review
I’ll freely admit that I have a giant soft spot for broken characters, so Miki pushes that button easily. He had a bad past and just when he was getting things together, life threw him a curveball. But then, it also threw him Detective Morgan, so it isn’t all bad. Kane is from a giant Irish family that is friendly and accepting (although a bit overwhelming). Even though he and Miki have a rough start, fate keeps tossing them together and makes it impossible for them to ignore the attraction they feel.

Kane plays the hero, sweeping in to protect and save Miki, while also healing him and teaching him to love. Analytically I could see how some readers would find this cliche or overdone, but I felt it was handled well and brought something to the relationship besides chemistry. Although I would definitely say that having a preference toward hurt/comfort helps.

While I found the police investigation to be a bit drawn out, I can see why it was done that way. Still, I think better pacing or balance between the police drama and the romance would have made for a quicker story. In addition, the amount of detail to settings and visuals threw me off sometimes, but I think it was more because I’m not used to reading stories with so much, so often, but that could just be me.

Miki’s emotional struggle is the driving purpose behind the book and what made it so easy for me to finish. I think anyone who doesn’t enjoy Miki will find this difficult to read, as he’s obviously a main character and his issues run deep. He develops and changes over the course of the story as he gets a support system, but for the majority he’s a prickly pear.

One sort of issue I had with the ending was the tagged on bit. It really threw me for a loop. It felt disconnected from the story at large although it was related to the events, and it had a very different feel from the main story. I can respect it’s potential necessity in order to introduce the idea before the next book (or else they would hardly feel connected at all) but it also made my brows go up and my nose wrinkle. If it weren't for this odd teaser at the end, the story would have concluded very satisfactorily. It still sort of does, but another can of worms is opened.

Men of Smithfield: Adam and Holden by LB Gregg

Men of Smithfield: Adam and Holden by LB Gregg
Stars: 3.75/5

Length: 55,000 words
Blurb
Holden Worthington's globetrotting days are over. Once the host of a popular adventure show, he hasn't ventured past his own front door in more than a year. Then the arrival of a sexy new gardener sparks something Holden hasn't felt in a very long time?an interest in the world outside his window.

Holden tries to resist the attraction. But painfully shy yet definitely interested Adam Morgan has Holden longing to conquer his debilitating anxiety and live again. After a grisly discovery on the grounds of the estate, the town of Smithfield turns a suspicious eye on the reclusive Holden?and the two men must trust in each other to bring the truth out in the open.

Overall
I started reading this before bed one night when I was restless, and although it didn't grab me as thoroughly as some books, I kept reading until 2:30 am, when I finally finished and was flat-out exhausted. It's enjoyable, with a background murder-mystery plot and some kooky romance. In the beginning, half the cast was going to drive me mad, but by the end I'd come to terms with most of them. I felt the story was leaning heavy toward having too much sex, but never crossed that line, although having read it all in one sitting may have given that impression. Aside from the off-kilter pacing and early annoyances, I found the story interesting. I didn't feel like I could quite give this a full 4-star rating (although it will be tagged as such), but it was better than 3.5. My second favorite of the three Men of Smithfield novels I've read.

Review
What really made this story work for me was Adam and Holden as two 'broken' characters who blend together nicely despite coming from 'opposite sides of the track.' Holden is agoraphobic after a traumatic experience left him shy of being photographed by the press, and Adam can't read people's facial expressions, body language, and verbal nuances. I really love how these two come together through their initial mutual attraction and develop as characters from there, helping each other 'heal' (or in Adam's case, have a safe place where he doesn't have to keep his defenses up). The opening up of their weaknesses helped them quickly develop an intimacy that otherwise would not have worked.

My biggest issue with this story is the rest of the cast (aside from Mrs. H and Tony, I suppose). Everyone just waltzes in and out of Holden's house as if it's nothing, avoids police questioning (even if they've nothing to hide), and is generally rude to Holden (except maybe Mitzie, who may have invited herself over, but seems rather nice). Obviously they do this because they've been permitted to do this, but it rubbed me wrong, although I understand this is a personal thing.

The murder mystery, while playing a main role in bringing all the characters together and moving all the pieces around, definitely feels secondary, which probably stems from the fact that it is secondary in Holden's mind. Holden isn't really too concerned with the dead body in his backyard (which sounds a little odd, but didn't bother me); he's too focused on his hot new gardener. This worked in some ways and didn't in others. I felt that when they were talking about the murder, I was impatient to get back to the romance, and when they were having sex, I wanted to get back to the plot. Perhaps that's just me.

Finally, the murderer's motives were lacking, although the murderer does seem to fall into the 'just plain crazy' domain. A reason for the murder is given, but the character seems unstable, which in itself is a reason for the murder, but while this happens in real life, in stories it seems like poorly constructed plot.

Having said all of that, I still enjoyed this story. My love of Holden and Adam overpower any of my disdain for the side characters, and the resolutions made me like some of the characters more than I had in the beginning, which possibly left me with a better taste in my mouth. But really, Adam and Holden pull this story along and are worth sitting down to read.

Received this book for review.

The Saint of San Francisco by Jerry Sacher

The Saint of San Francisco by Jerry Sacher
Stars: 2/5

Length: 245 pages
Blurb
After finding himself still depressingly single on his thirty-second birthday, Jeremy Haniver accepts an invitation to move to San Francisco. Though he falls in love with the Castro and the city, it’s not enough to cure him of his loneliness or the depression that dogs him. He almost throws his life away, but fate intervenes when Jeremy meets Mark Caparelli.

Mark is a former Marine and a detective with the San Francisco PD. Unfortunately, he’s also seeing someone else—at first. Life finally seems to be going Jeremy’s way, until a homicide breaks up his first date with Mark. Jeremy desperately wants to get over his past and start a new life with Mark, but they have to catch the killer first... before he catches them

Overall
This novel is an attempt at a murder mystery using a unique narrative style and a frequently changing point of view. While I applaud the attempt at stepping outside the box, too many problems arise from some of the choices Sacher made, which left me skimming through the story to get to the ending. Instead of breaking this story down into positives and negatives, I'm going to look at the different parts that caught my eye and why they worked--and why they didn't.

The Breakdown
Title. While I think the saint in the title is supposed to refer to Jeremy, I think it more aptly applies to Mark. Not only does Mark save Jeremy's life, but he also puts up with Jeremy for some reason that I can't fathom outside of love. There are moments were Jeremy is a good match for Mark, but there are other (majority) times where I wanted to smack Jeremy. Hard. Mark, however, despite some poor choices, puts up with a lot of crap, tries to protect the one he loves, and does his job.

Points of view. While my biggest complaint in some books is that they randomly begin skipping around the perspective pool, this novel at least consistently jumped around. The lead narrator (in first person) is Jeremy, but possibly so you don't kill him, we get third person perspectives from Mark and various other key voices. I know this caused complaints among some readers, but I didn't mind. I feel the concept can work well, and while it may not have been executed perfectly in this case, it wasn't terrible. However, I know it rubbed many readers the wrong way.

Voice. We are told off the bat that Jeremy is apathetic in his relationships, doesn't think he's (really) capable of loving someone, and gets easily bored with boyfriends (and dumps them for no particular reason). He's a hard guy to love, and he's the leading male. Because of his apathy toward his boyfriend, his friends, and many things in general, it's hard to want to hang around his head, which is why jumping perspectives is probably a good thing. He's slightly whiny, very stubborn, and sometimes annoying. Also, despite his many failings, he still has friends and has trouble seeing any of his negatives. Because of all of this, he comes across as a Gary Stu (the male equivalent of a Mary Sue).

The mystery. In general the mystery was pretty interesting. I liked how everything unfolded and Jeremy continued to dig up facts and get his nose into business when he really shouldn't have.

On the other hand...there were some really big issues with reality in the mystery, the story, and a few characters. Mark takes Jeremy to a crime scene; I don't believe that a murder case would just be "dropped" no matter who was asking; and there are various other moments that made me question what research went into it. Along these same lines, the murderer, when he's finally revealed, behaves erratically, has previously behaved illogically, and yet has acted perfectly rationally other times. I didn't buy it.

Requested this book for review.

Suite Nineteen by Mel Bossa

Suite Nineteen by Mel Bossa
Stars: 3/5

Blurb
Drawn by the promise of change, young medium Ben Lebeau, moves to the big city, into the Shilts Manor—an old textile factory turned trendy loft space. There he meets seductive Lennox Van Kemp and his clan of Métis—guardians of the oldest lie. Ben is pulled into Van Kemp's emotional circle, finally sating his most secret desires.

Against Ven Kemp's warnings, Ben befriends his neighbor Ezra Collins—a scarred man who has taken a vow of celibacy. As Ben tries to get closer to Ezra and earn his trust, he also struggles to escape Van Kemp's psychological grip on him. The harder Ben falls for Ezra, the more he suffers from hallucinations and memory losses. Soon, the Manor's walls begin to close in on him and Ben must rely on his psychic abilities to survive the assault on his mind.

As Ben and Ezra unravel Van Kemp's plans, they expose a spiritual conspiracy dating back to Christ—a conspiracy that will shake their very world and restore their Faith in humanity.

Overall
Although I think this novel would have been better off in movie form, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting from the few reviews I glanced at on GoodReads. While it wasn't fantastic, it wasn't terrible either. It was very unique and definitely was striving to try something new and different, which I have to applaud. For the most part the reader and the narrator are both completely confused and lost, which makes the first 60% of the novel difficult to sink into, but around that point everything starts to get explained and plenty of action happens.

People who like psychological thrillers may enjoy this book, as it's very heavily entrenched in the style of the reader and narrator not knowing what's going on and trying to reveal the answers. There's also plenty of fantastical elements in this grim story. It's not a book I'd recommend to most people, as the plot took a long time to develop, the writing was okay (not bad, but not enough to grab me either), and it's a very strange story. But I only struggled through one part, so it wasn't too bad. I wasn't terribly in love with the characters, and while I was interested in what was happening, it seemed to take too long to get around to it. Overall, I felt very blase about this book.

Review
I don't think I can split this review evenly into Strengths and Weaknesses, so because the novel was different, I'm going to review it differently. Warning: Due to the nature of this book, I'm going to try not to hit any spoilers, but some small things may get through.

Ben is not an ideal hero and is an unreliable narrator because we spend over half the novel questioning if he's sane or not. He's struggling to start his life over after leaving his small town, but in addition to dealing with his psychic powers, he doesn't have a job and DOES have very strange neighbors, who he hasn't really met. Initially, Ben doesn't trust some of his neighbors, as he gets a very bad vibe from them, but later gives only the barest of resistence before falling into bed with them. His erratic behavior doesn't help the reader decide if he's sane or not, and even if he is sane, it leads us to question some other things about him and his decision to associate with people that he doesn't trust. I had a difficult time buying it, although some of it is explained by Ben's strained psyche and his confusion. I feel like the story was supposed to come across as him being manipulated, but it came across more that he was just being kind of stupid.

Not to say he wasn't being manipulated, because obviously large chunks of the story depend (rightly) on people lying to him constantly. Some parts of the manipulation were well done, it was just the initial switch from "bad vibe" to "hey, she's hot" that felt off to me. Speaking of which, Ben is bisexual, so floats between male and female lovers, although no sex is described on screen.

One of the most difficult elements of this book to get around is the mass confusion that the reader experiences through Ben. Because Ben can't tell what's real/true, neither can the reader, making for a very long beginning as the reader is dragged through events while Ben (often) makes poor decisions. Of course, the second half of the book goes a long way to explaining the first half, although it also raised some more questions, for me at least.

Having said all of that, this story does take the reader on quite the ride, from absolute confusion to mostly understanding which transforms into an action-y story. The characters are dark and are not people you'd typically want to become friends with, not even our lead narrator who is, overall, a good guy.

The worst part of the novel is when things start to be explained. The problem is that it gets explained all at once in an info dump like no other, where the reader finds out all sorts of supernatural stuff that was minimally hinted at before. Not only is all the information thrown at the reader at once, but it makes the first half of the story and the second half of the story feel like two different beasts. While I can see the need for the confusion in the beginning and the explanation, I didn't feel like they were well handled. A different approach to reach the same ending probably would have made this a very enjoyable story instead of a mediocre read.

There were creative elements of this novel that I really enjoyed, and some world building that I felt, if approached in a differently would have created a dark and interesting world. The struggle for sanity and reality was interesting, as was the fight for the self. However, the story didn't feel realized, and while I finished it, and enjoyed it for the most part, I can see most readers giving up on what is a difficult book to get through with varying levels of reward.

Requested this book for review.

Snowball in Hell by Josh Lanyon

Snowball in Hell by Josh Lanyon
Stars: 4.5/5

Overall
A classic detective/murder mystery with a gay romance twist, this World War II story starts with a rainy day in December and pulls you through the dreary streets of Los Angeles and the surrounding area. In a world where everyone has secrets, Nathan Doyle has a secret that could ruin his life if it gets out. In order to keep it quiet, he and Lieutenant Matt Spain race one another to solve the mystery first. While the mystery ties the story together, this is a study of two men in a difficult time period, one of whom is struggling with himself while desperate for human contact. The strength of the book is in the writing as the reader sinks into the characters and doesn't want to leave even as he reads the last lines.

I'm excited to learn that Lanyon plans to continue this as a series with a second book due in 2012.

Strengths
Writing. Lanyon's writing is excellent and very smooth, giving the impression of the time period without confusing the reader. There is something very clean about the writing, leaving the story to shine through. Highly enjoyable and a pleasure to read.

Characters. Matt and Nathan are both good guys who want the right thing, and also both happen to want something for which society can throw them in prison. It's hard not to like them, especially when they're surrounded by a bunch of shady characters that they interview while trying to solve the case. It doesn't hurt that the pair has a good dynamic in their actions and dialogue.

Atmosphere. Aside from the major conflict of the time period (aka, sexuality), I liked how Lanyon integrated minor points about things relating to it being during World War II and the small hardships this caused, such as foods and drinks not being available and older people who would have been retired needing to work since able-bodied men were at war.

Plot. The story was intriguing without being too suspenseful (which could count against it for some people, I suppose). There is a sense of danger, but not so much that the reader is constantly fearful for the main characters' lives. I enjoyed the resolution, though it could be construed as cliche, I think that's what I enjoyed most about it!

Weaknesses
A very minor detail, but in the beginning the PoV switches only seemed to happen between chapters, but as the novel progressed they seemed to happen more often and without regard to chapter ends. Also, and this probably just the formatting of my copy, but there were times when jumps in time or perspective occurred and there was no space in the text to indicate it.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Stars: 3/5

Overall
While this novel has an interesting premise and a selection of interesting characters, the eventual plot-line (and consequential ending) left me tepid. The writing, which felt beautiful and strong in the beginning, began to wear on my patience as the novel progressed. I enjoyed Dexter's "emotional" dilemma at the end, but the rest of the ending left me going..."oh. Meh." Most of it I saw coming and the rest left me feeling like it was TOO prepared to be a series.

Strengths
A creative idea. The idea of writing a book from the perspective of a "good guy" serial killer is interesting and is what drew me in.

Writing. My initial feeling is that the writing is good, but sometimes it does become a little "full of itself." It's very descriptive and sometimes stream of Dexter's consciousness, which gives the reader a good idea about what kind of person Dexter is and how attentive he is--and what kinds of things he's attentive to.

Weaknesses
The resolution, if we can call it that, didn't work for me. The author requires us to take too many leaps of faith that seem untrue to his characters. Also, because this is a series, it leaves multiple of threads unfinished, which is understandable. However, the main thread of the book is also left unfinished, which seems cheap to me.

Be sure to check out my other reviews on my blog.

Fair Game by Josh Lanyon

Fair Game by Josh Lanyon
Stars: 5/5

Overall:
I don't do suspense novels, or murder mysteries, or the likes. I read this because it had men kissing men, and I wanted to try out some of the author's stuff. And...I think I'm in love! That may be an exaggeration, but I did, thoroughly, enjoy this novel. If you want action, suspense, romance and/or hot sex scenes (not all at once), then definitely give this book a try. I just finished reading it, and I want to start all over again.

What worked
If I say "everything" you won't believe me, but nothing really let me down. Still, there were strengths.

Plot. Although romance is a strong theme in this book, it wasn't the overwhelming focus, and I think that's what really drew me in. If you're looking for a book full of mushy love scenes, this isn't it. If you're looking for a story where the man gets his man while saving the world (so to speak), then pick this up. The plot developed slowly and carefully without lagging or rushing while giving just as many misleads to the reader while still making it just as possible for the reader to figure it out (sorta). Everything feels realistic and tastefully gritty.

Characters. All the characters were deep and multifaceted. Elliot was easy to relate to without being too soft; he wasn't perfect (none of the characters were, refreshingly), but he was strong (and a little stubborn). Tucker (the love interest) was tough and rescued Elliot but began to show a soft side to balance out his FBI exterior. Plus all the supporting cast played their parts well, mixing up the plot until you're not sure who the killer is.

What I didn't like
Only two problems..
...actually, as I typed out the two problems, they sort of resolved themselves for me. One was limitations of our narrator, that we never understood where Tucker was coming from, which clouded some ability to believe for me, but is excusable. The other, involving the killer and a victim, made me question why, but I was able to reconcile that as well, after consideration.